LESSON NOTES

All About S1 #5
Top 5 Most Common Phrases

CONTENTS
2 Grammar

# 5
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GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson Is the Five Most Common French Phrases

To survive in a foreign place where people speak a language other than yours, you'll need to
know the emergency phrases to function, satisfy your basic needs, or save your skin in
emergency situations!

France is no different! When you attempt to speak French to natives in France and
demonstrate that you are making an effort to adapt, you'll facilitate communication with the
inhabitants of France.
Not only will using the five phrases in this lesson and following our tips help you break the
ice, but it will also allow you to commencer du bon pied ("start on the right foot") and establish a
friendly and respectful exchange!

Phrase One: Ça va? Ça va. ("How are you? I'm fine.")

After greeting and saying hello to someone, you will need to ask how she or he is. It's a matter
of politeness.
The Question and Statement With ça and va:
While in France you'll often hear these two sounds [sa-va], which are part of the phrase Ça
va ?, meaning "How are you?"

Be aware though, these two tiny words can be either a question or a statement.

To differentiate between the two, you need to listen to the speaker's intonation. When the
intonation rises, it will be a question: Ça va ? ("How are you?") When the intonation is slightly
falling or constant, it will be a statement: ça va ("I'm fine.").

We only use ça va? and ça va. in familiar or informal settings. For example, you could say it
when speaking to your French colleague you've spent time with outside of work that you've
become comfortable with or simply with longtime friends.

Language Expansion

Alternative Questions for Ça va ? ("How are you?")

Standard French:

French Pronunciation "English"

Comment ça va ? [ko-man-sa-va] "How are you?"

Ça va comment ? [sa-va-ko-man] "How are you?"

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Alternative Answers for Ça va. "I'm fine."

Standard French:

French Pronunciation "English"

Ça va bien. [sa-va-bihan] "I'm fine."

Ça va très bien. [sa-va-tray-bihan] "I'm very well."

Ça va mal. [sa-va-mal] "I'm not good."

Phrase Two: S'il vous plaît. ("Please.")

This phrase is a must for anyone who has de la galanterie ("some courtesy").

The original meaning of S'il vous plaît was not only to be polite but also to ask whomever you
are speaking to whether he or she would be pleased to do a favor for you, such as answering a
question or passing the salt at the table.

Formal "please": S'íl vous plaît

You've guessed it: we use s'il vous plaît [see-voo-play] in French in formal situations or with
people you are addressing using vous (the formal "you"). It simply means "please" in English.

Informal "please": S'íl te plaît

If you'd like to say "please" with close friends, colleagues, in a relaxed context, or in short with
people you talk to by using the informal personal pronoun tu, use s'íl te plaît [seel-tuh-play].

Language Expansion

Often after you use s'íl te plaît or s'íl vous plaît comes the time to thank the person who helped
you. To do so, just say "thank you" with the word merci [mer-si].

Even better, show your appreciation and break the old routine by using an alternative merci by
saying:

French Pronunciation "English"

Merci beaucoup. [mer-see-bo-cu] "Thank you very much/so

much."

Merci mille fois. [mer-see-mil-fuwa] "Thank you a thousand

times."

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Phrase Three: Excusez-moi ("Excuse Me")

Nobody is perfect. Are you? If not, you probably hope to be. As many of us aren't, we do make
mistakes from time to time. Doing so often requires us to apologize or express that we are
sorry.

Formal "Excuse me": Excusez-moi

To express these feelings in formal situations or with higher-ranked colleagues, use the short
phrase excusez-moi, pronounced [ex-scyuuz-eh mwah], meaning "excuse me," "I'm sorry," or
simply "sorry."

Informal "Excuse me": Excuse-moi

If you are among people in a relaxed atmosphere or an informal context, use excuse-moi [ex-
scyuuz mwah] ("excuse me").

Phrase Four: Aidez-moi ("Help Me")

You never know what will happen from one day to the next. Some days are predictable, and
others may require fast action on your part to solve an emergency. In that case, you may need
to ask for help.

To get assistance, just say Aidez-moi! [ay-day mwah], meaning "help me." If you are not in
such a hurry or an urgent situation and just would like to ask a stranger for help to find your
way, for example, add the expression we saw earlier s'il vous plaît ("please") and end up with
the polite and formal phrase Aidez-moi, s'íl vous plaît ("Help me, please.").

Language Expansion

If you are in an urgent situation and want to catch the attention of people around you, say first
Aidez-moi ! ("Help me!"), then express your need for a doctor by adding after Aidez-moi ! the
phrase J'ai besoin d' un docteur. You'll have the phrase Aidez-moi ! J'ai besoin d'un docteur
[ay-day mwah jeh boe-zuhin doen doc-tour] ("Help me! I need a doctor.").

Phrase Five: Je ne sais pas. ("I don't know")

While walking in a French city, park, or castle, someone might ask you one of the following
questions: "Where are the restrooms?" or "Where is the entrance?" More likely than not, since
you are also unfamiliar with the place you are visiting, you won't have the answer.

A useful way to respond in French when you don't know something is to say Je ne sais pas
[juh nuh sy pa] ("I don't know.").

Language Expansion

To give an explanation and offer a reason for the cause of your ignorance, you can always say
Je ne parle pas bien le français [Juh nuh parl pa bi-han luh fran-say], meaning "I don't speak
French well."

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